A qualitative ‘free-list’ analysis of the challenges in the implementation of competency-based medical education for MBBS students in a Government Medical College in Assam

Abstract

Background: In India, competency-based medical education (CBME) was introduced for the 2019–2020 batch of Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students. Methods: The objective of this study was to identify the key challenges perceived by the medical college faculties in the implementation of the CBME curriculum for MBBS students. This was a qualitative cross-sectional study using the free-lists method to obtain data from 25 faculties about their perceptions of challenges regarding the implementation of CBME. Results: The most frequent items mentioned by faculty members were: less workforce, inadequate infrastructure, less training, assessment methodology and non-simplified curriculum. The challenge regarding the workforce had the highest Smith’s salience index score of 0.41, followed by inadequate infrastructure and inadequate time distribution for competencies in the curriculum. Conclusions: As the challenges related to the curriculum were identified, addressing them with the incorporation of local needs and aspirations is the need of the hour.

Keywords

• competency-based medical education
• free lists
• medical curriculum
• qualitative cross-sectional study
• salience index